UNFI Celebrates Retail Innovation and Growth at 2025 Holiday & Winter Selling Show
UNFI (United Natural Foods, Inc.) kicked off its first Holiday and Winter Selling Show of 2025 by bringing together thousands of retail and supplier partners for a multi-day event focused on innovation, growth, and holiday-season preparation. Held earlier this year, the event was designed to help grocery retailers discover new products, engage with suppliers, and explore business solutions ahead of one of the busiest sales periods of the year.
A Marketplace for Innovation and Connection
The show welcomed more than 5,300 attendees, including approximately 2,200 UNFI retail customer representatives and over 900 supplier brands. These brands showcased an expansive range of products across natural, organic, fresh, specialty, and conventional grocery categories. Attendees had the opportunity to explore thousands of items, including exclusive seasonal offerings and more than 50 new-to-market products making their debut.
With a curated selection of trend-forward and differentiated products, UNFI’s event served as a one-stop resource for grocers looking to optimize their holiday assortments and enhance customer experience.
Recognizing Retailers Making a Difference
One of the highlights of the show was the Customer Circle of Excellence Awards, now in its second year. This recognition program celebrates retailers that demonstrate exceptional business performance, innovation, and community engagement. UNFI honored 11 standout retailers across various regions and store sizes for their leadership and impact.
At UNFI, we’re proud to serve a diverse and dynamic network of 30,000 retail stores that are the heartbeat of their communities,” said Mark Bushway, President of Natural, Organic, Specialty & Fresh Products and Chief Supply Chain Officer at UNFI. “We’re honored to shine a light on a few of the many outstanding retailers who are driving growth through unique product offerings, high-impact merchandising strategies, and differentiated shopping experiences.”
The awards ceremony featured the presentation of top honors:
- Local Independent of the Year: Harmons Neighborhood Grocer
- National Chain of the Year: Vallarta Supermarkets
Regional Award Winners
In addition to national recognition, UNFI celebrated regional leaders that exemplify performance excellence and community focus.
Central Region Winners
- Local Independent Performance Award: Marohn’s Marketplace
- Local Independent Impact Award: Plum Market
- Regional Chain Performance Award: Dave’s Supermarkets and Lucky’s Markets (Ohio)
- Regional Chain Impact Award: Dierbergs
West Region Winners
- Local Independent Performance Award: Market of Choice
- Local Independent Impact Award: Jimbo’s
- Regional Chain Performance Award: Good Food Holdings
- Regional Chain Impact Award: Raley’s
National Category
- National Chain Impact Award: National Co+op Grocers (NCG)
It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by UNFI,” said David Hinojosa, Chief Operating Officer of Vallarta Supermarkets. “This recognition is a reflection of the entire Vallarta team and the passion they bring to every part of our business—from merchandising and marketing to customer experience and community impact.
UNFI had previously recognized retailers from the East region during its Spring and Summer Selling Show, held earlier this year in Orlando, Florida.
Supporting Emerging Brands Through the UpNext Pitch Slam
In a continued effort to foster innovation and highlight promising up-and-coming suppliers, UNFI hosted its popular Pitch Slam competition. This signature event gives brands from the company’s UpNext program the chance to present their products to a live audience of retail buyers and industry peers.
One standout participant was Huxley, a health-conscious energy drink brand.
When we created Huxley, we set out to make an energy drink that consumers would feel good about drinking—something as natural and balanced as it is delicious,” said Simon Solis-Cohen, founder of Huxley. “UNFI’s UpNext program has helped us broaden our visibility and reach more consumers in their favorite stores.”
The Pitch Slam not only helps emerging suppliers gain critical feedback and exposure but also supports UNFI’s broader mission to provide retailers with differentiated and trend-forward offerings.
Empowering Retailers with Data and Technology
Recognizing that modern retail success requires more than great products, UNFI also used the show to showcase its technology-driven tools and retail services aimed at helping grocers thrive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
One of the featured tools was the UNFI Media Network’s Audience Optimizer, a solution that enables smarter, data-informed promotional strategies. This tool is designed to help retailers increase return on advertising spend (ROAS) through precise audience targeting and optimized media execution.
In addition, UNFI introduced an AI-Powered Loss Prevention system. Integrated with surveillance technology, this service has helped retailers reduce shrink by up to 60%, making it especially valuable during the high-traffic holiday shopping season when theft and loss are more likely to spike.
With online grocery shopping projected to grow 18% over the next two years, these kinds of strategic solutions are critical for grocers aiming to stay competitive and profitable.
About UNFI
UNFI is North America’s premier grocery wholesaler delivering the widest variety of fresh, branded, and owned brand products to more than 30,000 locations throughout North America, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, ecommerce providers, and food service customers. UNFI also provides a broad range of value-added services and segmented marketing expertise, including proprietary technology, data, market insights, and shelf management to help customers and suppliers build their businesses and brands.
As the largest full-service grocery partner in North America, UNFI is committed to building a food system that is better for all and is uniquely positioned to deliver great food, more choices, and fresh thinking to customers. To learn more about how UNFI is delivering value for its stakeholders, visit www.unfi.com.
